Saturday, September 23, 2006

Off to East Lansing...man, I love road trips. I've hit every Irish roadie in the Charlie Weis era save Washington, and I'm proud to say the Irish are 5-1 when I make the trip.

The last time I went to Spartan Stadium was junior year, 1990, and it was a doozy. The Irish were #1, but found themselves down 19-7 in the fourth quarter to the 24th-ranked Spartans. The Irish scored a touchdown, and were driving for another, when Rick Mirer tossed up a wounded duck, a sure interception that would have sealed the upset for the Spartans. But the ball careened off of Spartan player Todd Murray's shoulder pad and settled cozily in Irish flanker Adrian Jarrell's arms at the MSU 2-yard line. This set up a Rod Culver touchdown run with 34 seconds left, and the Irish won, 20-19. The play is now known far and wide as the "Immaculate Deflection", and from our endzone seats, we had a great view of it.

Tickets? Check. Rain gear? Check. Confidence? Uhh...check. (The late, great Spartan coach Duffy Daugherty once said, "My only feeling about superstition is that it's unlucky to be behind at the end of the game," but with the inclement weather, and the prospect of a high-scoring shootout, we might need some of that Adrian Jarrell-style Irish karma tonight. I will be sure to head-butt my dog on the way out the door for a little extra boost.)